Spain's mixed history has influenced its cuisine, from the Moors and Jews, to the Romans and beyond. 

Each region developed its own style of cooking appropriate to the local produce available combined with the exotic foods introduced over the centuries.

Spanish Produce

There are several traditional Spanish dishes made from local produce, which are popular throughout the Iberian Peninsula. 

The freshest selections of local goods are available in the markets.

Olive Oil

Spain produces 44 percent of the world's annual olive crop (source wikipedia) and much of this is made into oil. Used as a fat for cooking, a base for sauces and dressings, the oil is a staple of most Mediterranean cuisine. The olives themselves are served cooked or raw, either on their own or as an ingredient to a dish.

Seafood

Spain has 4,964 Km of coast, not including the Canary and Balearic Islands. Seafood is very popular and makes up a large part of the diet in costal regions. Each costal region has traditional ways of preparing and cooking fresh fish and seafood.

Meat

Despite the strong historical impact of the Moors and the Jews pork is a common meat in Spanish cuisine, it's thought that this is because it was seen as a "pro-Christianity" meat.

Chicken, beef, lamb and rabbit are also popular.

Serrano ham is a dry cured salty delicacy, a leg of ham is cured for between one and four years and is often served as an light side dish or snack (tapas).

Chorizo is a spicy, dry cured pork sausage with garlic and paprika (the paprika lends it the distinctive dark red colour) served as a tapas or cooked in a stew or casserole.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

The mild Mediterranean climate and fertile soil produces much fresh grown food, with Seville oranges, Valencia lemons and Spanish tomatoes having worldwide renown.

Cheese (queso)

Many varieties of cheese are produced in Spain but the most popular is a cheese made from sheep's milk, manchego. It is a firm cheese with a distinctive flavour. There are many similar cheeses available although a real manchego cheese must be made from the milk of the manchega sheep which are bred and reared in the region of Castillo La Mancha.

Traditional Spanish Cuisine

Tapas

In Spain tapas culture is a part of the day. Evening meals are usually served between 21:00 and 23:00, with plates of snacks, tapas, served in bars alongside drinks in the early evening.

The tradition of tapas comes from the southern Andalusian region where the bartender used to place a small cover, tapa, over a drink to keep the flies out. Over time it became customary for the bartender to place a small piece of ham or cheese on the tapa.

These days tapas, occasionally known as pinchos, varies; in some bars it is as simple as a bowl of olives and some cheese, in others it will be a small portion of a main dish. In some regions they will be complementary whereas in other places they are paid for.

Paella

The Moorish invasion of Spain bought a number of new species and flavours to the Spanish plate. One of the most influential was the introduction of rice, the Spaniards then mixed this with the local produce and paella was created. It is probably the best known dish of all Spanish cuisine and although it is indigenous to the Valencia region it is served all over Spain.

The recipe varies depending on the availability of fresh local produce although it usually contains chicken or rabbit, seafood, selected vegetables and paella rice. An authentic paella should be cooked in a flat paella pan in a wood-burning oven.

Gazpacho

Another Spanish signature dish is the chilled soup, gazpacho, which originates in Andalusia.

Further Information

• Proper Spanish Tapas.com
• Sally's Places.com
• Spanish Cuisine from Wikipedia

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